In comparison to other types of light fixtures, e.g., incandescent and fluorescent light fixtures, light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”) provide numerous advantages. For example, LED-based lighting fixtures (i) dramatically reduce energy consumption based on relatively low wattage, (ii) have a relatively longer life (e.g., 50,000 hours vs. 2,000-5,000 hours for incandescent light fixtures), (iii) provide cool operation (e.g., reduce energy costs by reducing air conditioning loads), (iv) contain no lead or mercury (e.g., eliminate special recycling requirements), and (v) do not have ultraviolet emissions.
However, current LED-based lighting fixtures, such as LED downlights, are plagued by many problems. One problem associated with some current LED downlights is that they lack a heat sink that is integral with the can housing such that the entire LED downlight assembly becomes a heat sink for dissipating heat away from the LEDs. Another problem associated with some current LED downlights is that they fail to provide a removable LED PC board that can be mounted directly to the heat sink for improved thermal management. Yet another problem associated with some current LED downlights is that they fail to provide an integral mounting configuration that can receive a reflector/lens assembly or a trim.
What is needed, therefore, is a cap for a downlight can that addresses the above-stated and other problems.